Erumbeeswarar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Tiruchirapalli International Airport is the nearest airport and serves both international and domestic flights.

• By train

  Thiruverumbur has its own railway station on the Trichy to Tanjore line.

• By road

  Thiruverumbur is an important bus stop on NH 67, the Trichy to Tanjore highway.

Why devotees come here

Erumbeeswarar Temple stands on a hill in Thiruverumbur, a neighbourhood of Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu. It is dedicated to Shiva and is classified as a Paadal Petra Sthalam, and locals call it the Kailash of South India.

Erumbeeswarar is revered in the Tevaram, the canonical 7th-century Tamil Saiva work by the nayanmar saint poets. It is classified as a Paadal Petra Sthalam. The Archaeological Survey of India has declared the temple a protected monument. Legend says Shiva turned himself into an ant hill and slid his head down, so that ants could climb up and worship him.

The temple in its current form was built by the Chola king Aditya I, who ruled from 871 to 907 CE. It has 49 inscriptions from the Chola period, dated 850 to 1280 CE. In 1311 CE, during his South Indian expedition, Malik Kafur could not conquer this temple, the only one he failed to take on that campaign.

The complex has two prakarams, or outer courtyards, and a two-tiered rajagopuram, the gateway tower. The central shrine faces east and holds a lingam made of a mud mound. At the foot of the hill, a mandapam carries Chola and Pandya inscriptions. The temple sits atop a 60-foot hill, reached by a flight of granite steps.

Festivals

• Tamil month of Vaikasi (May to June)Brahmotsavam

  The temple's major festival. Thousands of devotees and tourists come from far and near.

• Every full moonGirivalam

  Tens of thousands of pilgrims walk barefoot around the hill.

Tips for your visit

• The Brahmotsavam is also known as Malai Kovil, so you may hear the festival called by that name.
• The mandapam at the foot of the hill carries Chola and Pandya inscriptions.

Questions people ask